About Global Learning

The Office of Global Learning Initiatives prepares FIU’s students to be successful global citizens who develop global awareness, a global perspective and use their passion to make the world a better place.

We achieve our mission through the award winning Global Learning for Global Citizenship initiative, in which every student engages in active, team-based, interdisciplinary exploration of real-world problems.

We also support FIU’s faculty by offering workshops and fellowships that leverage their expertise while helping them hone the skills they need to develop successful global learning courses.

To date, faculty have created more than 190 global learning courses. Students choose among these courses, offered in every academic department, to meet their two-course global learning graduation requirement.

With our Global Learning Medallion program, students design their own experience – choosing from available global learning courses, globally-focused activities, study abroad programs, foreign languages and original research – to earn this graduation honor.

Dr. Landorf is the Executive Director of the Office of Global Learning Initiatives; this Office oversees FIU’s university-wide initiative, Global Learning for Global Citizenship, recognized by the Institute of International Education as winner of the 2016 Heiskell Award for Internationalizing the Campus. She is an Associate Professor in the School of Education and Human Development, leader of FIU’s Master of Science degree program in International and Intercultural Education. In 2016 she was appointed as the Executive Director of the Comparative and International Education Society, bringing the Office of the Executive Director to FIU.

In addition to her work with the OGLI, Dr. Doscher serves as Program Evaluator for FIU’s Title VI-funded Latin American and Caribbean National Resource Center and as a Change Leader for FIU’s AshokaU Changemaker Campus Initiative. She holds an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership and Administration from FIU; the instruments she developed as part of her dissertation, “The Development of Rubrics to Measure Undergraduate Students’ Global Awareness and Global Perspective: A Validity Study,” are currently being used by educators around the world. Dr. Doscher also holds an M.Ed. in Secondary Education from Western Washington University and a B.A. in History from Emory University.

Her work focuses primarily on organizational leadership, professional development, and integrative curricular and co-curricular design to enable global learning for all. Her current research interests include teaching and assessment strategies for global learning and the relationship between global learning, social innovation, and inclusive excellence. She has presented and published papers on these and other topics in numerous international conferences and journals. Recent publications include “Defining Global Learning at Florida International University” in AAC&U’s Diversity & Democracy; “Promoting Engagement in Curriculum Internationalization” in IEE Networker and “Education for Sustainable Human Development: Towards a Definition” in Theory and Research in Education.

Earning a Ph.D. in Educational Studies (Cultural and International Studies) from McGill University in Montréal, Canada, he holds an M.A. in Humanities and B.A. in Literary Studies from the University of Texas at Dallas.

Formerly a secondary English Language Arts teacher, his diverse research interests and publications include comparative education in global perspective, interdisciplinary multicultural education, social justice and equity, teacher education and professionalization, and assessment literacy. At the university level, he has led courses in education and development, multicultural education, educational research methods, English Language Arts, science education, and professional ethics for teachers.

Eric has ten years of experience in higher and adult education as an emerging scholar, administrator, and instructor. He has contributed to academic publications on designing global learning experiences, democratic deliberation, and police in schools (click here for a listing of publications and presentations). In-progress writing and research projects are examining co-curricular engagement of fully-online students, the intersectional identity development of gay, Hispanic fraternity men, and public relations practice in higher education. He is currently pursuing his Ph.D. in Higher Education at FIU.

In his role as Program Manager for FIU’s global learning initiative, he leads the continuous development of the Global Learning Medallion, a comprehensive and universally accessible platform for students to engage in international and intercultural problem solving through courses, activities, internships, and research.

He has four years of teaching experience within FIU’s Honors College. In the community, he has served as a volunteer college application coach for College Summit, and serves on the advisory board for the CWS Miami Immigrant and Refugee Program, and Eradicating the School-to-Prison Pipeline, Inc.

Connie currently assists with organizing and/or marketing program activities for both the Peace Corps Prep and Global Learning Medallion programs. She also provides performance consultation for Global Learning clubs that focus on addressing global issues.

In addition to her Global Learning responsibilities, Connie supports the Executive and Managing Directors of the Comparative & International Education Society (CIES) by monitoring membership inquiries, organizing and distributing relevant materials for conferences and meetings, posting weekly announcements, as well as helping to maintain the CIES website and social media accounts.

Having successfully completed the Master’s of Public Administration program at FIU, she hopes to continue to further her knowledge of social entrepreneurship and human resource development

Salma is currently a Doctoral student pursuing a degree in Adult Education and Human Resource Development. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Hospitality Management and a Master’s Degree in Hospitality Management and Adult Education and Human Resource Development. Her passion revolves around resolving organizational conflict and she has also earned a Graduate Certificate in Conflict Resolution and Consensus Building at FIU.

Before pursuing her degrees at FIU, Salma worked in the hospitality field in the USA, St. Vincent and her native island of Trinidad and Tobago. She developed her skills as an intern and later held the positions of Guest Services Agent/ Guest Services Supervisor/ Manager on Duty (Sheraton Suites Plantation), and Purchasing Coordinator (Hilton Trinidad).

Jared Leichner is a PhD Candidate in FIU’s Biomedical Engineering Department. Currently, his research focus revolves around immunofluorescent staining and 3D modeling of Neurons, Astrocytes and Vasculature in the cortex of the brain with the aim of uncovering complex network connectivity patterns and their changes during disease states. He also holds an MBA from FIU’s prestigious International MBA program as well as dual Bachelor’s degrees in Biochemistry and Psychology. When outside of the University, he enjoys creating music, developing virtual-reality applications, engaging in DIY home projects and most importantly spending time with his Wife and Shih-Tzu puppy.

Sherrie is a graduate assistant for the Office of Global Learning Initiatives. Her passion for global learning and global citizenship brought her to FIU, where her doctoral studies in Curriculum and Instruction include a focus on International and Intercultural Education. Sherrie holds a Bachelor’s degree in Education from Illinois State University and Master’s degree in School counseling from Dallas Baptist University.

Being part of the OGLI has allowed Sherrie to gain valuable insights into how faculty at FIU make global learning come alive for undergraduate students. It has also served to further her research into what it means to be a global citizen. She is currently conducting research on FIU’s Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) Initiative.

Sherrie’s long-term goals are to support university-wide global learning initiatives, continue her research, and serve as a professor of prospective social studies and civics teachers. Ultimately, she hopes to expand others’ knowledge and understanding of differing perspectives on global issues and inspire active citizenship for positive community, national, and global change.